Stormy She Is
by Sonic Jules
Summary: 10.Rose.Repost.......Rose isn't feeling well and is hallucinating just a little bit, and the Doctor has his hands full. One of three stand alone stories revolving around the 'oncoming storm'.


**Stormy She Is**

**By Sonic Jules**

**A/N: **The characters of "Doctor Who" don't belong to me, but I'd really like to believe that they like being used now and then.

They'd planned on leaving England a little bit earlier; Rose having visited with her Mum and the Doctor having been ready to leave about thirty minutes after they'd arrived. But they had stayed, caught up, done some shopping, and then Jackie had cooked them dinner before they departed with promises of being back soon.

They'd walked out to the TARDIS to leave when a storm started rumbling through, and Rose had insisted they stay and watch it. She was fascinated with the intensity of the lightning and the thunder, so they stayed put and watched the storm until it had passed over.

"That was the most fantastic lightning storm I think I've ever seen!" Rose exclaimed as they walked into the TARDIS.

"I think I should start calling you Stormy, because you, young lady, have quite the fascination with them," the Doctor joked.

"Yep. The bigger the better," Rose added in, enjoying his tease.

Walking inside the ship, they took off their coats and moved about the center console. The Doctor was piddling around with different levers when he stopped suddenly, feeling as if someone were watching him. Someone was. His eyes met Rose's and she grinned at him, her eyes telling him she had something to ask.

"Go on - out with it," he said, grinning back at her.

"Are there any places we can go that have storms like that?" she asked.

"A place where we could watch them in all their glory without being killed, you mean?" He asked, his voice a bit skeptical, but his grin still remained.

"Yeah, like that."

"I think we might be able to find something out there," he answered as he looked down, pushing in a few knobs before looking back up at her - a big smile spreading across his face.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, running to him and throwing her arms around him. They both laughed as he set in the coordinates.

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The Doctor sat in front of the center console, bent down as he gave the TARDIS the attention she needed. She'd been through so much that he fancied himself giving her a complete overhaul, what with the lightning that had jolted her systems. Bad idea. Bad, bad idea.

That had been three days ago, when they'd gone to look at lightning storms.

Rose had been awful quiet since then. He knew it wasn't her fault the lightning had assaulted his TARDIS on Lanaria, but he wasn't quite sure that she knew that he knew. There was no way anyone could've known that they were landing in the middle of a temporal ionic storm. And the lightning sure was pretty. He sighed. Rose did have a tendency for feeling guilty about things beyond her control.

She'd been sitting with him in the control room mostly while he worked on his ship, and he saw her when he looked for her over the console. She was in the same exact spot she'd been in before when he'd last looked up; sitting on the floor, leaning back against a pillar with her legs stretched out in front of her, crossed. The book she'd gotten to keep herself entertained still lay across her lap. She'd gone to get the book when he'd said he hadn't needed any help, and that was over two hours ago. Maybe he'd been a little too harsh when he'd told her he didn't need her - he knew she hadn't turned a page in eons; she wasn't even looking at the book. Instead, her eyes simply stared off into space - deep in thought. She was too quiet for his liking.

"Rose?" The Doctor called to her, but she didn't hear him. "Rose?"

"Yeah?" she finally answered, looking over at him.

"You all right?"

"Sure. Why wouldn't I be?" she asked quietly.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because you've not turned a page of your book for the past hour or so."

"I think I just need another book," Rose answered, as if that were all the explanation he needed. She stood gracefully and stretched slightly before looking over at him again. "See you in a bit, yeah?" she said, then walked out of the control room.

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The Doctor continued his work on the TARDIS, replacing wires and a few screws, and ended up giving her a nice tune-up after fixing the melted wires and fused circuits the lightning had caused. He'd done a little more than he'd planned to do, waiting for Rose to return. But she hadn't. Closing up a door under the center console, he stood, then stepped on the grating in front of him, making sure it was properly in place as he bounced ever so slightly on it. Looking around and finding everything in order, the Doctor put on his suit jacket and placed his sonic screwdriver in a pocket, patting it twice. All done. Now it was time to find Rose. He supposed she'd found a more interesting read and lost track of time. At least he hoped so. She'd been too quiet these past days and it was a bit unsettling to him. As images of her sitting in the library filled his mind, a grin spread across his face and he set off to find her.

Hands in his pockets, the Doctor strolled along the corridors, reaching a large oak door that he touched fondly. The TARDIS library was huge, and the massive door you went through to get inside was almost intimidating. Turning the handle and pushing the door, he listened as it creaked and moaned, telling it's age and sounding it's protest of being used. He walked inside, inhaling deeply the smell of musty comfort this room held for him. He'd spent many an hour, a day, even a week or two in here before, and relished every moment of it.

Walking down the many aisles of shelved books, some as old as time one could imagine, the Doctor ended his search for Rose in the sitting area, seeing no one. Sighing, he patted the back of an empty chair, watching a bit of dust rise from it's cloth as he stood deep in thought. Finally turning himself around, he walked back to the library's door, then closed it behind him.

Walking down the corridors he'd just been through, the Doctor stopped in front of Rose's room. It hadn't taken long to find her after leaving the library, as this was only his second place to look. He knocked lightly, then opened the door a little bit when she hadn't answered. She was inside, sleeping atop her bedcovers. The same book she'd had before was laying beside her on the bed, closed.

He sat down gently beside her form and looked at her closely. Resting a hand on her forehead, he closed his eyes for a moment, relief evident that she didn't have a fever. Opening his eyes again, he removed his hand from her face and reached for the blanket at the foot of her bed; pulling it up and covering her from feet to shoulders. He continued to sit there, watching her for a few moments. Her face was peaceful in sleep. It concerned him deeply, realizing he really hadn't seen that look of contentment for days.

Rising up from her bed, he stood over Rose, watching her for a few more minutes before finally turning to leave. He'd find out what was wrong with her. He'd make it better. Simple as that. After all, he was the Doctor.

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Rose stood beside Sarah Jane Smith at the center console, admiring the woman greatly; envying the time she'd spent with the Doctor. He certainly had picked a wonderful companion in her. Courageous and gracious; beautiful and charming - Sarah Jane was certainly a woman to admire in Rose's opinion.

The Doctor had made all of the final adjustments needed to the TARDIS and they were ready to take off. Out into the unknown, off to rescue and save the day somewhere; some time.

"Doctor?" Rose prompted.

He looked at her then grinned, then looked at Sarah Jane. "Fancy a trip through the stars again, Miss Sarah Jane Smith?" He asked her cheekily.

"Are you quite serious?" Sarah Jane smiled through her disbelief.

"Oh quite," he began, smiling wide. "Quite, quite serious, indeed! Rose won't mind, will you?" he asked, turning to his young companion.

"Oh no - the more the merrier, I always say, yeah," Rose answered happily.

"Oh, ah, I think you misunderstood me," the Doctor began, looking at Rose with half the smile he'd had before. "You see, I can't have the both of you coming along - it wouldn't do to have the two of you to look after, I mean, really," he chuckled, "one is quite enough. Wouldn't you agree, Mickey?"

Rose turned to Mickey as if just noticing him in the TARDIS for the first time, watching as he nodded his agreement.

"Oh yeah, I wouldn't want to have to deal with the two of 'em," Mickey said, making the Doctor chuckle.

"You mean ... you want me to ... leave?" Rose asked, a hitch in her voice as she forced herself to remain composed. If she had to leave the TARDIS, it would be with her dignity in tact, if not her heart.

"Yep. Now off you go," the Doctor replied, waving her towards the TARDIS doors. "There's places to go and people to see, demons to wreak havoc on and all that - we really must go now."

Rose shook off the hand that Mickey had placed on her shoulder, trying to urge her into movement as he pulled her towards the exit. She gave him a hateful look, then turned back towards the Doctor, seeing his arm draped over Sarah Jane's shoulders. He was talking to her animatedly, but stopped his conversation and looked at Rose, meeting her eyes.

"It's been fun - it's been great, but it's time for you to go. Now run along, Rose Tyler, and have a grand life." With that, the Doctor turned back to Sarah Jane and picked up their conversation where he'd left off.

Rose stood frozen in shock. She didn't blink until Mickey pulled on her arm, urging her into movement. "It's no fun, is it?" he asked, "Being the third wheel an' all, eh?" He swiftly pulled her with him out of the TARDIS's doors.

When Rose turned around, the TARDIS was gone. More importantly, the Doctor was gone.

"No! How could he leave me? No! Doctor! Doctor!" Rose cried herself awake and found herself sitting up in bed, safe and sound and actually _in_ the TARDIS. It had only been a dream. A trick of the old subconscious. Nothing to think twice about. So why was she shaking so?

The Doctor rushed into her room, having heard her screams and his name within them, only a few feet from her room since he'd just left. The shock alone of hearing her tormented cry after just seeing her laying there so peacefully only moments before had him bursting through her door, ready to fight off whatever threat was there.

Rose screamed when the Doctor came in, still upset by the nightmare and having no time to compose herself before her bedroom door went slamming into the wall behind it.

"Rose!" The Doctor shouted, looking at her then looking all around her room for any threats before returning his eyes to hers. Walking swiftly to her bed, he sat himself right beside her and grabbed her shoulders, looking at her with such intensity she shivered. "Are you all right? What happened? What's wrong?"

There were too many questions thrown at her shocked mind to comprehend them all at once. She stared at him blankly for a moment, mouth agape with tears still fresh on her cheeks from the dream. He looked her over then rolled his eyes slightly and grinned, slapping his forehead as he'd figured out what was going on. He pulled her into a hug. "Was it a nightmare? Is that what woke you up?" He hugged her tighter. "Oh Rose, it's okay. I've got you," he said soothingly, rubbing one of his hands up and down her back. "I've got you."

The Doctor held her until she was breathing normally and the slight tremors of fright had evaporated. And she appreciated it, she really did, but ... "I'm okay. You can let go of me now," she said quietly. When he pulled back, she wiped her face and he reached for a few tissues on her bedside stand, holding them in front of her so that when she finally looked she'd see them waiting. "Thanks," she said, taking the Kleenex. She blew her nose and tossed it to the side, landing it in her waste bin straight on.

The Doctor sat there, his head bowed slightly - eyes lifted to her face, just watching her. Finally he had to ask. "So, some nightmare, hmmm? What was it about?"

"Oh, I don't know. This and that, I really don't even remember much of it," she answered him.

"You were calling for me, you know." he said.

"I was?"

"Yeah. Must've been some dream."

"I guess." She slid her legs around in front of him and placed them over the side of the bed - all in one graceful movement. She stood, willing the jelly in her legs to disappear. "But it's over now. Just a dream and all, yeah?"

The Doctor couldn't tell if she were trying to convince him or herself. He looked up at her. "Don't you want to try and get more sleep?"

"No." She answered quickly. "I mean, I think I'll get a shower and put some pajamas on first." She looked at him, meeting his eyes. "I'm fine, okay?" She didn't want to talk. She just wanted to be alone.

The Doctor stood and placed a hand on her shoulder, much the same way Mickey had in her dream. "Okay Rose, we'll let this go for now. But if you need me - for anything, I'll be close by, okay?"

Rose nodded and then watched as the Doctor left, closing her bedroom door behind him. She remained standing there as fresh tears began running down her face.

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Cleaned and scrubbed, Rose sat at the kitchen table, hair still wet from her shower. She looked tired - bags under her eyes and a deflated posture. Her face was pale as plain porcelain, and as the Doctor walked in he could see it all. Very clearly. He continued into the kitchenette and saw Rose dozing, her tea cup empty and sitting at an angle in her lap, held in place by her very lose grip. Carefully, he removed the cup from her fingers and placed it on the counter behind them.

Kneeling down in front of her, he studied her for a moment. Something was wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. He wouldn't join her mind without her permission unless he thought it was a life or death situation and had no choice. But oh, how he wanted to. She wasn't talking to him about it. Not in her sleep - which he'd actually tried once on one of the very few occasions he'd seen her sleeping these past few days. She wouldn't talk to him when she was awake either - which just happened to be now, he realized, seeing her eyes staring into his.

"Hello," he said.

"Hey," she answered.

"You're feeling all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Really?" The Doctor asked, his hand on her knee, looking at her closely. "Because lately, in oh say, the past few days or so, you've been a little ... distant." His voice was low - smooth as silk.

"I hadn't noticed," Rose answered quietly, his hypnotic tone soothing her.

"Well, I have. Something bothering you, Rose?" he asked calmly.

"No," she answered, unable to tear her eyes from his.

"You look like you haven't been sleeping," he said, his fingers on her knee moving around ever so slightly.

"I think I just was," she answered, a little distracted by the fingers moving around on her knee - not seductively, but more as a comfort. "I'm not sleeping real good lately, so yeah, a little tired."

"You've been having dreams," he wasn't asking.

"Uh huh," she answered, his distraction working.

Rose was entranced. He hadn't messed with her mind. Not. Really. Just had her focus on something else - like his hand on her knee - fingertips moving in the same gliding motion over and over. His hypnotic voice, gently lulling her into a lesser level of consciousness. One where she'd actually talk to him, he knew - he'd practiced it well.

The Doctor stopped what he was doing, removing his hand from her knee as if it were on fire. He stood abruptly, and turned away from her for a moment. When he turned back around, he smiled gently at the sight of her - almost like she was waking up all over again, but not quite. He could've gotten her to tell him anything then - but he wanted her to tell him herself without any influences. Wanted her to feel that she could tell him on her own. Without any manipulations, no matter how minor they may be.

"How about some warm milk?" he asked.

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Rose walked along the corridors of the eerily dark spaceship, looking around with a feeling of utter loneliness. It was a horrible feeling, but she continued walking, even though what she really wanted to do was crawl in a corner somewhere and cry. She was calling to the Doctor, but the only response she heard was the echo of her own voice. She began running, through hall after empty hall, seeing no one. When she finally stopped running, she found herself standing before an antique fireplace looking very out of place in the ship. The fire roared and crackled as the logs upon it burned, yet all she could feel was cold. So very, very, cold.

"Doctor? Doctor! Where are you?" she asked, trying to contain the panic bubbling inside her. Then she heard it - he was calling her! She smiled with relief, looking all around her until she realized his voice was coming from the fireplace. The words 'Magic Door' came to mind. Bending down to see him, her smile was glorious, reflecting her joy at seeing him. "Doctor! I'm so glad I found you! I was so scared that ..."

"Rose," he gently interrupted, "I just wanted to tell you 'good-bye'."

"Wha ... what?"

"I'm staying here. With Reinette."

Rose dropped to her knees, now seeing Reinette with the Doctor. They were holding hands.

"Have a good life, Rose Tyler. We've had a great ride, haven't we?" he asked.

The fire flashed brightly, making Rose shield her eyes. When she opened them again, the fire was out and a brick wall stood where once she saw right through to another dimension in time.

He left her! He left her! Abandoned her for ... Oh God, he'd left her.

Rose sat straight up in bed, crying from the pain of her dream, calling for the Doctor as she sobbed uncontrollably. And he was there instantly, sitting beside her and hugging her as tightly as she held him.

"Shhh. Shhh. It's okay Rose. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. Shhh." He held her and calmed her, stroking her hair in a petting motion.

She looked around for a moment and instantly recognized her room. She suddenly quieted then, holding her breath. "What happened?"

You remember being in the temporal ionic storm? The lightning was pretty bad - we really should've just watched it from the monitor, but we went to the TARDIS doors instead to see it up close and personal. It was something to do with the ionization of electric particles mixing with electrons - well, they kind of melded together into a tornadic twist and brought down the protection the TARDIS gave us from the atmosphere outside of the ship. You got struck with lightning and it threw you clear across the control room. I swear, it took nearly a hundred years off me, watching you being electrocuted like that. You've been unconscious ever since."

"You mean I've been dreaming? All this - it was all just dreams then?" she asked as the Doctor patted a cold compress to her forehead, gently soothing her feverish mind with the simplest of touches.

"I s'pose so. You seem to be rambling a bit though. I'd better check your temperature again," he said before turning away from her and reaching for something on the bedside table.

"Next time I tell you I want to see storms again, just lock me in my room, yeah?"

"Now why would I do that - when a full moon is so near?" He spoke in a voice she didn't recognize, but did. From her past.

She backed away from him then, rolling herself until she fell off from her bed. Standing up quickly, she stepped back until she met the resistance of her dresser.

"You're not the Doctor. Where is he? What've you done with the Doctor?" Rose half asked, half shouted as she looked around the top of her chest of drawers for some sort of weapon.

"I carved out his soul and sat in his heart," he grinned, leaning over her bed; inching closer and closer as Rose froze, hearing his words.

"There's no moonlight here to sustain you - now back off," she spoke with conviction, though inside she was a trembling ball of fear.

He laughed at her. "I once thought you held intelligence, woman. Understand this - I don't need the moon when I have this ship - your Doctor has provided me with all the knowledge I need to produce my own moonlight from many, many planets, thanks to this TARDIS." With that said, moonlight began streaming in from a window which suddenly appeared in Rose's room and the Doctor's body began transforming. Skin stretching around bones that grew long beneath. "I know there is something of the wolf about you, and you will join me," it said with menace. Fangs protruded from an elongating mouth; drool dripping from his lips. Before Rose knew it, he had completely transformed into a werewolf before her eyes, howling viscously towards the ceiling before looking back at her.

"Mine," it said, then howled as it leapt over her bed.

Rose screamed as she grabbed a metal nail file, aiming her crude, useless weapon at the beast.

"Rose! Focus! Focus on me!"

"No! You're not the Doctor! Stay away! Stay away from me or I'll rip your hide to shreds!" she yelled, swiping the nail file at him as if she were holding a scalpel.

"Rose ... You have to trust me - you're delirious, now listen to me! I am me. I am the Doctor." he tried calming her, and for a moment it looked as if he were getting through to her. He reached a gentle, human hand towards her, but all she saw was a furry claw rising to strike. Raising her weapon, she aimed it towards that claw, only missing the Doctor's hand because of his speedy maneuvering. He took advantage of her attack and grabbed hold of her, restraining Rose in his arms as she fought him and struggled to release herself from his hold. She screamed and yelled and kicked and pushed as best she could in his hold, but luckily, he was stronger.

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"Rose, Rose? That's it, come on, you need to wake up now," the Doctor's voice was soothing and comforting, and she wanted to see him. It was a struggle, getting her eyes to cooperate with her mind. Peeking around through half-opened lids, she realized that she was in the infirmary laying down and the Doctor was leaning over her, a gentle smile forming as her eyes opened fully.

"Doctor?" she asked, her voice slightly hoarse.

"Right here," he said, brushing an imaginary hair from her forehead, letting his hand linger over the feel of her now cooled skin.

She looked around. "I'm thirsty."

"I bet you are," he grinned, turning around to get a glass of water from behind him on the counter. He slid his right arm under her shoulders to help her sit up just a little, then used his left arm to bring the glass to her lips, helping her drink. "Little sips, Rose. Just drink a little bit at a time or it'll make you sick."

After she'd finished he laid her back down on the pillows, then replaced the glass on the counter. Turning back towards her again, he smiled. "Welcome back."

"What am I doin' in here?" she asked, looking around at the walls of the med bay.

"You've been very sick, Rose Tyler. Three days you and I have been fighting to get you through a raging fever. Well, you've been doing most of the fighting, I've just been standing around, giving you medications and intravenous nutrition."

"Three days?"

"Yep."

"And you've been here with me?"

"Where else would I be?" he asked as if it were the silliest question in the universe.

"Did we see the storms?" she asked quietly.

"Oh yes, that's when you went unconscious - scaring a few years off me, as a matter of fact. There we were, watching the different colors of lightning on Lanaria, when all of a sudden you just fell backwards onto the TARDIS floor, burning up and unresponsive. Scared the tar out of me, you did."

"What? Did I get struck by lightning?"

"You don't remember?" he asked cautiously, watching as she shook her head from side to side, silently answering 'no'. He sat down on the gurney beside her, taking her hand in his as he did so. "Do you remember the dreams you've had since you took ill?"

"Not really. Just little bits and pieces. And they're not making any sense to me," she answered quietly.

The Doctor nodded. "Probably for the best," he told her, painfully remembering her waking up with screams and crying out for him on several occasions.

She waited a moment, then asked again. "No lightning strike then?"

"Oh no - course not. We had the TARDIS's shields protecting us."

"So, no ionization of electric particles mixing with electrons that melded together into a tornadic twist?" Rose asked.

The Doctor looked at her strangely for a moment. "No what? I, uh, don't even know if that's possible. Are you hallucinating again?" he asked, brows furrowing.

"I don't think so. Maybe just remembering a piece of one though."

"Mm hmm," he replied skeptically. "You had plenty of those, all right. You were very emotional in that fever-induced state you were in. Lots of wild things going on in that head of yours," he said out loud, looking off for a moment as memories of listening to her crying, calling to him, and not being able to do much about it came round.

"Like what?" She asked, bringing his thoughts back to the here and now.

"Well, how about when you tried to chop my hand off?" he asked, grinning.

"Did not." She almost laughed.

"Did so."

"How, why? With what?" Rose interrogated.

"A toothbrush."

"What? Did you just say a toothbrush?" Rose asked skeptically, her focus becoming clearer much to the Doctor's delight.

"Oh yes," he grinned, then pointed over to a sink across the other side of her gurney. There laying on the side of the sink were a stack of her clothes and a cup which held her pink toothbrush. "I brought some things in here for you to have when you woke up, having no idea you'd use that toothbrush as a weapon, let me tell you," he grinned, finally seeing the humor of it all now that Rose was on the road to recovery.

"Did not," Rose snorted, just the idea of it was nonsense for her. Then she frowned, looking away for a moment. "Oh God, I think I thought you were a werewolf."

"What?" the Doctor asked, rubbing his chin. "I shaved."

She smiled at his joke for a moment, then she suddenly got serious. "So what's wrong with me? Am I gonna be okay?"

"You had the flu. Good old Earthbound influenza. Must've picked up the bug when we visited your Mother. A fast-acting virus, I might add. But with a goodly dose of antibiotics and a brilliant Doctor by your side, you had no choice but to recover," the Doctor smiled proudly.

"Just the flu? No alien virus or anything like that?"

"Well you don't have to sound so disappointed - it was a very nasty strain - probably picked it up when we went to that overcrowded little market when your Mother decided to cook for us and then sent us out to fetch all her ingredients," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, well, you liked it," Rose defended.

"Yes, the food was fine, the company, however ..."

Rose smiled.

"Your Mother's fine, by the way. I called her to make sure she wasn't sick, just in case. Made up some excuse about you not telling me when your birthday was and I was sneaking round to find out. She bought it."

"Thank you," Rose said, finding it more and more difficult to keep her eyes open.

The Doctor stroked her cheek. "No need to thank me," he said softly, noting her drowsiness.

"No, really," Rose began, her words slightly slurred and her eyes barely open. "Thanks for looking out for me, and my Mum, an' not leavin' me," she smiled at him, then closed her eyes. "And thanks for not being a werewolf ..." The Doctor smiled.

"No, Rose Tyler," he whispered as he stood, then leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Thank you for not leaving me."

**The End.**

**_This is one of three stories revolving around the same event. "Stormy She Was" will arrive on 8/24/07. (I hope you'll come read it!) "Stormy Within" is coming soon. g Please review?_**

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